Arsenal v West Ham United
Premier League, Emirates Stadium, Monday 26 December 2022, 8pm GMT
Premier League football is back!
Following a six-week hiatus for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which ended with Argentina's dramatic win over France in last weekend's final, domestic action returns with the Hammers' Boxing Day trip to Arsenal.
David Moyes' men get their league campaign back underway with perhaps their toughest test to date, as the Gunners have lost just once in the top flight this season and currently lead the way by five points from Manchester City.
On the Hammers' part, they will be looking to improve on their results from the first portion of the season, which saw them take 14 points from the opening 15 games to currently sit 16th in the table.
While five of West Ham's squad were involved in Qatar, the players in east London were involved in three mid-season matches, which saw the Irons defeat Cambridge United and Udinese, and earn a 1-1 draw with Fulham.
The Gunners also played three friendly matches during the break, defeating Lyon and AC Milan, but suffering a 2-0 loss at the hands of Juventus at Emirates Stadium last weekend.
Now the action resumes for real and both teams will want to hit the ground running.
Tickets
The first 90 per cent of our allocation of 3,003 tickets sold out to Season Ticket Holders with 28 or more Loyalty Points. The remaining 10 per cent (300 tickets) were then made available to Season Ticket Holders who had yet to purchase for this fixture by a ballot process. The ballot closed at 12pm on Wednesday 30 November.
Travel
For supporters living within the London Underground network, take the Tube.
For those living outside, the best bet is to drive to an Underground station, as Greater Anglia, c2c, Southeastern, Great Northern and Elizabeth line services will not be running on Boxing Day.
Emirates Stadium is usually well connected on the TfL network, but less so on Boxing Day, as National Rail services on the Great Northern line and London Overground services will be suspended. However, a replacement bus service will be in operation on the Overground routes from Stratford, Camden Road and Willesden Junction
Arsenal (Piccadilly Line) is the nearest Tube station, around three minutes’ walk from the ground. Finsbury Park (Victoria and Piccadilly lines) and Highbury & Islington (Victoria line) stations are around a ten-minute walk and should be slightly less crowded.
Supporters should note that Holloway Road station will be exit-only before and after matches with pre-match eastbound trains non-stopping. Drayton Park is also closed on match days.
How to Follow...
Monday's game will broadcast live in the UK by Amazon Prime Sport, and will be shown across the world by the Premier League's international broadcast partners. You can listen to commentary in the UK on talkSPORT, BBC Radio London 94.9FM and on whufc.com and our official app.
You can also follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle.
Team News...
Strikers Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio are facing a race to be fit for the Boxing Day Premier League trip to Arsenal.
Scamacca was forced off during the Hammers’ final preparatory game at Fulham a week ago after taking a knock to his ankle, while Antonio sat out of the trip to Craven Cottage with a calf strain.
With the Premier League resumption just days away, David Moyes told his pre-match press conference he will continue to monitor the pair’s fitness but admitted they may miss out.
The boss will also monitor Nayef Augerd's fitness with the Morocco defender due to rejoin the squad on Saturday.
Arsenal will definitely be missing Gabriel Jesus (knee), Reiss Nelson (hamstring) and Emile Smith Rowe (groin) on Boxing Day. Meanwhile, Oleksandr Zinchenko has been battling with a calf issue but could return, while Takehiro Tomiyasu could also be available after dealing with a hamstring injury.’
Opposition...
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal find themselves back where they - and their support - will feel they belong this season - challenging at the sharp end of the Premier League table.
After winning three Premier League titles and securing 20 consecutive top-four finishes under Arsène Wenger's management, the Gunners have since gone six seasons without qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.
However, that could be set to change this term after 12 wins, and just a solitary defeat, from their opening 14 Premier League matches this term has them sitting pretty at the head of the Premier League table.
The summer arrivals of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City brought Premier League-winning experience to Arteta's squad, and his team wasted no time in building upon the signs of growth they displayed last term in finishing fifth in the table.
Statement wins over Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool - the latter a 3-2 thriller - have only underlined the belief that the Gunners could well challenge this term, while only Manchester United have managed to get the better of them in league action this term.
The goals have been spread around the team, no player has notched more than six, but all of Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and a revitalised Granit Xhaka have all notched four or more.
And the goals may well continue to have to be spread around if the Gunners are to maintain their charge, with Jesus now set for a spell on the sidelines with a knee injury.
With fellow forward Martinelli having already picked up some of that slack this season, the north Londoners will be hoping for contributions from the likes of Eddie Nketiah too, with the young Englishman having netted three times in the cup competitions but not in the Premier League so far this term.
Whoever plays, the Hammers know their hosts will possess a considerable threat and will need to be on their guard to claim the result they crave.
Previous Meetings
West Ham United meet Arsenal in the Premier League for the 53rd time on Boxing Day.
Arsenal have had much the better of the previous 52. The Gunners have won 35 to West Ham’s eight victories, with nine draws.
Sunday's opponents have won five of the last six Premier League meetings, with West Ham’s last victory coming at London Stadium on 12 January 2019, when Declan Rice’s goal secured a 1-0 win.
The Irons’ best Premier League results against the Gunners were the 2-0 wins achieved at Highbury on 30 April 1994 and at Emirates Stadium on 9 August 2015.
A 7-0 First Division hammering of the north Londoners at the Boleyn Ground on 7 March 1927 represents West Hams biggest-ever competitive win over Arsenal. Alongside Vic Watson’s treble, Joseph Johnson and Jimmy Ruffell also found the net, while the Gunners’ Tom Parker and Bob John compounded their own misery by scoring own goals!
Match Officials
Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistant Referees: Stuart Burt and Simon Bennett
Fourth Official: Graham Scott
VAR: Darren England
Assistant VAR: Darren Cann
Michael Oliver, who has been a member of the Select Group of Referees since August 2010, will take charge of our trip to Emirates Stadium.
Born in Ashington, Northumberland in February 1985, Oliver started refereeing in the Northern Premier League from 2003 to 2005. He then worked his way up through the National League and EFL to reach the Premier League in January 2010.
The 37-year-old refereed the 2007 Conference National and 2009 League One Play-Off finals and controlled the 2016 EFL Cup final, 2018 FA Cup final and 2021 FA Cup final, which saw Leicester City overcome Manchester City 1-0 to win the trophy.
Oliver has refereed competitive internationals - and was a referee at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar - as well as UEFA Champions League and Europa League fixtures, after he was appointed to the FIFA List in 2012.
He has officiated West Ham United on 37 occasions, including the penultimate game at the Boleyn Ground against Swansea City in May 2016.
This will be the third time he has officiated West Ham this season after Oliver was the referee for our 2022/23 Premier League opener against Manchester City and the trip to Everton in September.
